For our Gospel Lessons:
As in Advent, when we went inward to prepare to go outward with Christmas and Epiphany, in Lent we again go inward – in preparation. In the first two Sundays of Lent, Mark, brilliantly succinct, reveals the preparation Jesus experienced. During the next three Sundays John adds shimmering lights on Jesus’ ministry before we plunge into the Crucifixion, where we watch, from wherever we are, what Jesus must go through in order to give us Easter. These six vignettes invite us to take a closer look at the choices we are making in our lives and what we might choose to jettison, correct, or add.
For our Old Testament Lessons:
Lent has begun and now we begin our long walk toward the resurrection light. It is often said that we cannot experience the joy of Easter without first experiencing the pain of Good Friday; this is true also of walking through the season of Lent. In Lent we search ourselves and face, head on, the vices that separate us from God. During this season we dedicate ourselves, through discipline and prayer, to growing closer to God and letting go of the things that distract us. In Year B of our Lectionary Cycle, the current lectionary year, we are blessed to experience a journey of covenant with God. Each week in this Lenten season we explore a text from the Hebrew Scriptures that focuses on an aspect of covenant with God. Through our exploration of the historical covenants with God we will seek to open for the children ways in which God invites us into covenant today.
| Year B | Day | Scripture | Gospel Lesson Plan | Old Testament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Sunday in Lent, Intergenerational | Mark 1:9-15 | Believe the Good News | ||
| First Sunday in Lent | Genesis 9:8-17 Mark 1:9-15 | Temptation and Prayer | God's Promises are Eternal | |
| Second Sunday in Lent | Genesis 17:1-7,15-16 Mark 8:31-38 | Take Up Your Cross | God Will Call You By Name | |
| Third Sunday in Lent | Exodus 20:1-17 John 2:13-22 | Cleaning the Temple | God is the Way | |
| Fourth Sunday in Lent | Numbers 21:4-9 John 3:14-21 | Come to the Light | Be Grateful for What You Have | |
| Fifth Sunday in Lent | Jeremiah 31:31-34 John 12:20-33 | Bearing much Fruit | Written on Our Hearts | |
| Palm Sunday | Liturgy of the Passion | Isaiah 50:4-9a Mark 14:1-15:47 | Walk with Jesus | God gives; God opens; and God helps |